Opportunity Zones Podcast

What are the biggest questions you should ask before investing in an Opportunity Zone fund? With many investors facing a year-end deadline for rolling over their capital gains into an Opportunity Zone investment, know which questions to ask any fund manager before writing that big check. Transcript and show notes on OpportunityDb.com

What are the biggest questions on the minds of Opportunity Zone investors? And what have been some of the most surprising real estate market outcomes from the coronavirus pandemic? Pete LaMassa is Opportunity Zone deal captain and managing director at Bridge Investment Group, a vertically integrated real estate private equity firm with a $1 billion Opportunity Zone strategy. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What impact will the 2020 election have on the Opportunity Zones incentive? Expect major changes if Joe Biden is elected, and potential expansion of the program if Donald Trump wins reelection. The balance of power in the Senate should have an impact as well. Mike Novogradac is the managing partner of Novogradac, a top 50 accounting firm founded in 1989. John Sciarretti is chair of the Novogradac Opportunity Zones conferences and leader of the Novogradac Opportunity Zones Working Group. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How can a regional economic development planning commission help their communities leverage their Opportunity Zone designations? Invest Acadiana serves as a perfect example. Chad LaComb is the economic development planner for the Acadiana Planning Commission. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Can university research parks, incubators, and accelerators catalyze innovation in Opportunity Zones? Brian Darmody is CEO of the Association of University Research Parks (AURP). Many of AURP's member institutions are located in Opportunity Zones. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

If you’re an investor with capital gains, how can you find your Opportunity Zone investment and get invested before the end of this year? Today I’m officially launching the OpportunityDb OZ Pitch Day 2020 Online Event. OZ Pitch Day will take place on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 and will feature roughly one dozen Qualified Opportunity Funds. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What securities laws should Qualified Opportunity Fund issuers be aware of before they start raising capital from investors? And what are the major differences between the different types of private placement offerings? Clem Turner is a New York-based corporate and securities attorney for CSG and leads the firm's alternative capital practice. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

As we approach the fourth quarter of 2020, what are some of the most important timing considerations for Opportunity Zone investors and Qualified Opportunity Fund issuers? Ashley Tison is an Opportunity Zone consultant and attorney based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Along with Jimmy Atkinson, he is co-founder of OZ Pros, an Opportunity Zone advisory firm. Transcript and show notes available at OpportunityDb.com

What are the strategic advantages to investing in early growth, patent-protected technology companies located in Opportunity Zones? Matt Van Dyke and David Kunz are managing partners at Hall Labs, a Provo, UT-based family office and tech accelerator located in an Opportunity Zone. Transcript and show notes available at OpportunityDb.com

Does the Silicon Valley tech migration create a unique investment case for ground-up development in fast-growing downtown San Jose's Opportunity Zones? Erik Hayden is founder and managing partner at Urban Catalyst, a Silicon Valley-based real estate developer and Opportunity Zone fund manager. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What are some challenges that smaller Opportunity Zone project developers face? And are there benefits to investing in a smaller OZ fund? Garth Everhart is president of The Everhart Company and the developer and promoter of the Ceeley Opportunity Fund, a small, single-asset, project-specific fund located in greater Portland, Oregon. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Why are Opportunity Zones more important now than ever before, and what legislative changes are being considered to improve the impact of the policy initiative? Emily Lavery is a legislative analyst for Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), one of the original co-sponsors of the Opportunity Zones legislation. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Do Opportunity Zones have the potential to create a more optimistic and hopeful outlook, and to help build national recovery and resilience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis? On August 5, a live national webinar briefing was hosted by OZ Accelerator, ASTRA, and OpportunityDb. The webinar featured Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), plus expert panelists from Senator Scott's office, Urban Institute, Sorenson Impact Foundation, Emsi, EIG, and SBA. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

What are some of the economic advantages of rural multi-asset multifamily and outdoor-focused hospitality Opportunity Zone fund investing? Chris Montgomery and Stephanie Copeland are partners at Four Points Funding, who earlier this year was awarded the Forbes OZ 20 Grand Prize for Top Rural Opportunity Zone Fund Catalyst. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

In its early days, how effective has the Opportunity Zone incentive been for equitable development projects? Brett Theodos is senior fellow at the Urban Institute, where he recently co-authored a research report titled, "An Early Assessment of Opportunity Zones for Equitable Development Projects." Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What were the biggest highlights from last week's Novogradac Opportunity Zones Virtual Conference? Mike Novogradac is the managing partner of Novogradac, a top 50 accounting firm founded in 1989. John Sciarretti is chair of the Novogradac Opportunity Zones conferences and leader of the Novogradac Opportunity Zones Working Group. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What is conscious capitalism and how can choosing to adhere to this concept create positive social impact in Opportunity Zones? Travis Steffens is founder and CEO of Denver-based R Investments, a real estate firm focused on full cycle wealth generation through planning, development, construction, rehabilitation, leasing, property management, and brokerage. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How can built-to-own single family rentals be incorporated into an Opportunity Zone investment portfolio? Jeff Pintar is founder and CEO of Pintar Investment Company, a real estate development firm headquartered in San Juan Capistrano, California. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Could mobile home parks be the perfect (recession-resistant) Opportunity Zone investment? Sam Hales is CEO of Saratoga Group, a real estate investment firm focused on investing in affordable housing, specifically through mobile home communities located in Opportunity Zones. On May 27, he presented his MHP investment thesis to the OpportunityDb network. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Opportunity Zones may just be the perfect vehicle to deliver economic relief to the areas hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. How can the incentive be expanded to further catalyze the recovery effort? Blake Christian is a tax CPA for Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt (HCVT), a regional accounting firm with offices across the western United States. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What is the state of Opportunity Zones from the perspective of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, now one year into its mission? Scott Turner is executive director of the Council -- a collaboration of 17 Federal agencies and Federal-State partnerships with a mandate to identify and disseminate best practices for utilizing the Opportunity Zones tax incentive and existing Federal resources to stimulate economic growth and revitalization. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Last year, the Opportunity Zone Expo hosted six live, in-person events. But due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, their 2020 conference will be entirely online. Learn how you can still benefit from attending, who you will meet, and how you can save 20 percent on last-minute tickets. Rich Zhang is brand manager for the Opportunity Zone Expo. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

On June 4, the IRS issued a new notice that provides a lot of additional coronavirus relief for Opportunity Zone investors and Opportunity Zone funds. Will this relief pose short-term challenges for Opportunity Zone capital raising? And might it cause a tsunami wave of investment toward the end of this year? Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

During this current economic crisis that has resulted from our response to COVID-19, how can Opportunity Zone funds serve as alternatives for 1031 exchange investors? Erik Hayden is founder of Urban Catalyst, a San Jose-based real estate Opportunity Zone fund focused on ground-up development. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

What Opportunity Zone fundraising trends can be gleaned after raising $465 million? And what's next for Opportunity Zones in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic? Nick Parrish is managing director and head of business development at Cresset Partners, a multifamily office that specializes in alternative investments in real estate, private capital, and Opportunity Zones. Their first QOZ fund closed earlier this year after raising $465 million. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

In April, the IRS published correcting amendments to the final regulations on Qualified Opportunity Funds. What are the key changes that Opportunity Zone participants need to be aware of? Jessica Millett is partner and chair of Duval & Stachenfeld's tax practice group. Ashley Tison is co-founder at OZ Pros. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

The Sacramento Kings ownership group successfully spearheaded downtown Sacramento's revitalization, which by the end of 2018 had resulted in a hugely positive community impact and a downtown job increase of 38 percent. Now can they leverage the Opportunity Zone incentive to replicate this success in similar markets across the country? Alex Bhathal and his family are principal co-owners of the Sacramento Kings NBA franchise and managing partner of RevOZ Capital, an Opportunity Zone fund that focuses on urban core development. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

Are you ready to attract investors for your Opportunity Zone deals? Learn how to form an Opportunity Zone fund and raise capital for your OZ deals. Receive valuable information on legal structuring, compiling a pitchbook, and crafting the perfect pitch email. This episode is a condensed version of the audio portion of the webinar, which includes the presentations by Jimmy Atkinson & Ashley Tison (OZ Pros) and Jeffrey Maganis (Crowdcreate), as well as a selection of the Q&A portion. Visit OZPros.com/webinar for the complete video version and slide decks.

Why is social impact crucial to the long-term success of the Opportunity Zone initiative? Hear from the top urban Opportunity Zone fund, as awarded by the Forbes OZ 20, and the positive story of the impact that they are delivering in South Central Los Angeles. Martin Muoto is founder and managing partner of SoLa Impact, a $115 million Opportunity Zone real estate impact investment fund located in South Los Angeles, and recent winner of the Forbes OZ 20 Grand Prize for best urban Opportunity Zone fund. Reid Thomas is executive vice president and general manager of NES Financial's specialty fund administration technology platform. Transcript and show notes on OpportunityDb.com

How has the Opportunity Zone marketplace matured over the past 12 months? What has the investor response been? And is the current pandemic-instigated economic downturn threatening to change everything? Jill Homan is founder and president of Javelin 19 Investments, a Washington DC-based commercial real estate investor, developer, and Opportunity Zones advisor. Transcript and show notes on OpportunityDb.com

What insights can be gleaned from the newest book on Opportunity Zone investing? Jim White, PhD is chairman and CEO of Post Harvest Technologies and founder of the PHT Opportunity Fund. He is also a best-selling author; his latest book is Opportunity Investing: How To Revitalize Urban And Rural Communities With Opportunity Funds. Transcript and show notes on OpportunityDb.com

How are Opportunity Zone funds responding to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic? Find out why one Opportunity Zone fund walked away from $500 million worth of real estate deals last month. And could the current economic climate present some unique opportunities for investors? Chris Loeffler is co-founder and CEO of Caliber, a private equity real estate investment firm whose Opportunity Zone fund has thus far raised $70 million. Transcript and show notes on OpportunityDb.com

How can investors, financial institutions, and other local stakeholders leverage the Opportunity Zone incentive to improve community development results? Jeanne Bonds is a professor of the Practice of Impact Investment and Sustainable Finance at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill. She was formerly director of community economic development for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

Congress has passed three phases of coronavirus relief packages, with a fourth potentially on the way soon. How can Opportunity Zone businesses seek relief? And how can Opportunity Zones assist with economic recovery? OZ Pros hosted a Zoom meeting with 80 of the most engaged Opportunity Zones participants in our network. The Zoom meeting included presentations from Ashley Tison (OZ Pros), Howard Matalon (OlenderFeldman), and Reid Thomas (NES Financial). Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What is an OZ fund on Colorado's western slope doing to spark catalytic impact and serve the long-term needs of rural communities? Chris Montgomery is partner at Four Points Funding, whose Opportunity Zone fund was recently awarded the Grand Prize as the Forbes OZ 20's Top Rural Opportunity Zone Fund Catalyst by Forbes and the Sorenson Impact Foundation. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

How will the ongoing coronavirus pandemic affect financial markets and Opportunity Zones? Craig Bernstein is principal of OPZ Capital, which launched the OPZ Capital Opportunity Zone Fund in 2018. Craig has over 20 years of real estate experience, and is a prominent thought leader in the Opportunity Zones industry. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What is the capital raising and investment portfolio strategy for the first Opportunity Zone Fund to deploy capital to business ventures? Len Mills is CEO of Verte OZ, a venture capital Opportunity Zone fund launched in September 2019 that invests in high-growth disruptive businesses. Natalie Elder is Verte's head of investor relations. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What are the biggest Opportunity Zone lessons we've discovered and Qualified Opportunity Fund best practices we've formed after our first 100 Opportunity Strategy Calls at OZ Pros? And how can they apply to you? Opportunity Zones Podcast host Jimmy Atkinson and OZ Consultants CEO Ashley Tison are co-founders of OZ Pros -- Qualified Opportunity Fund and Qualified Opportunity Zone Business entity formation made easy. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What Opportunity Zones regulatory issues does the Novogradac Working Group address in their recent comment letter to the IRS? And what can you expect at the upcoming Novogradac OZ conference? John Sciarretti is a partner at Novogradac, a top 50 accounting firm and national thought leader in the Opportunity Zone industry. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

What level of transparency does your Opportunity Zone fund provide? Is it verified by a third-party fund custodian? Jeremy Christensen is director of fund custody at Millennium Trust Company. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

How can real estate technology, or property technology, benefit Opportunity Zone marketplace participants? Steve Nson is founder of AnySizeDeals, a matchmaking platform for real estate investors that also organizes live events. Their upcoming AnySizeDeals Week event will focus on how real estate interacts with AI and robotics, innovation, Opportunity Zones, and blockchain. Transcript and show notes on OpportunityDb.com

What are students learning in the nation's first LLM-level tax course on Opportunity Zones? Joseph "Jay" Darby is a partner in Sullivan & Worcester's tax group in Boston and has been a member of the adjunct faculty at Boston University School of Law since 2003. This semester, he is teaching an LLM course at BU Law titled, "No Gain No Pain? Opportunity Zones, Like Kind Exchanges and QSBS Strategies." Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

How does impact investing pioneer Jim Sorenson invest for impact in Opportunity Zones? Can Catalyst Opportunity Funds serve as both a counterexample to the wave of negative OZ publicity and a model for OZ fund investing? Impact investing pioneer Jim Sorenson and tech entrepreneur Patrick McKenna are co-founders of Catalyst. Jim is also founder of the Sorenson Impact Foundation, and funding partner at the University of Utah's Sorenson Impact Center. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com

Why might indoor vertical farming be ideally suited for Opportunity Zones? Zale Tabakman is founder and president of Baltimore-based Local Grown Salads, an indoor vertical farming company that has its own Opportunity Zone fund. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What are the five most impactful changes in the final IRS regulations on Opportunity Zones? And what’s the true story behind the Opportunity Zone designation in Storey County, NV? Daniel Kowalski is counselor to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and led the Treasury Department’s efforts in issuing regulations on Qualified Opportunity Funds. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What types of foreign investors may be ideal candidates for Opportunity Zone investing? And is there an opportunity for OZ fund sponsors to raise capital overseas? Stephen Christiano is an associate tax director of Frank Hirth's business tax group, specializing in U.S. business taxation and Opportunity Zones. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

What is a Community Development Financial Institution, or CDFI? And how can Opportunity Zone fund sponsors, real estate developers, and QOZB business owners leverage their local CDFIs as a capital raising resource? Ruben Alonso is president of AltCap, a CDFI headquartered in Kansas City. Emily Lecuyer is managing director of Equity Squared, a subsidiary of AltCap. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

Final regulations on Opportunity Zones have been issued by the IRS. What are the most meaningful changes and additions to be aware of? Tony Nitti is an Aspen-based real estate tax law expert, CPA, and tax services partner at RubinBrown. He serves on the editorial advisory board for The Tax Adviser. He’s also a regular contributor at Forbes.com, where his latest article breaks down Opportunity Zones law and regulations. Show notes and transcript on OpportunityDb.com

Does the climate change mitigation industry pose a huge OZ business opportunity? Jack Sullivan is founder and CEO of RedCarbon, a Qualified Opportunity Zone Business that focuses on carbon sequestration technologies and processes. Transcript and show notes at OpportunityDb.com

How did Origin Investments line up over $100 million for their Opportunity Zone fund in less than 24 hours? And what are some of the biggest challenges and complexities of managing an OZ fund? Michael Episcope is co-founder and principal of Origin Investments, a private equity real estate firm founded in 2007. Show notes and transcript at OpportunityDb.com